Tinker Bell's Regret
by D. M. Robb
Summary: Tinker Bell and her friends wish to help Zarina after she is fired as a dust-keeper, only to discover that they are too late.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Although I loved_ The Pirate Fairy _, it bothered me that Tinker Bell and the others didn't try to comfort Zarina after she was fired as dust-keeper when they saw how upset she was. The story might have turned out differently if they had. Here is a possible "missing scene" to explain what had happened. Thank you MLPRWSandPowerpuffgirlsfan for suggesting that I post this!_

 **Chapter 1**

Dread tightened Tinker Bell's throat as she watched Zarina dash away in tears, disappearing into the foliage of the massive plant she'd grown. The plant that, thanks to an overdose of pink pixie dust, had demolished the Pixie Dust Depot and displaced some of the surrounding houses. Thick, tangled vines stretched in all directions.

Tink had felt Zarina's pain when Fairy Gary scolded her for tampering with pixie dust, then told her she was no longer a dust-keeper.

 _This is partly my fault,_ she thought, hot tears blurring her vision. _I have to go after her._ But she couldn't move. Her feet remained rooted in place, her wings hung slack.

She turned to Rosetta, Fawn, and Silvermist who stood beside her on one of the vines. They looked as helpless as she felt. A short distance away Queen Clarion, Fairy Mary, and Fairy Gary were discussing plans on how to start rebuilding the Depot.

"Poor Zarina!" whispered Fawn.

"I've never heard of a fairy released from her talent before." Silvermist tugged at a lock of her glossy hair. "What will she do now?"

Guilt gnawed at Tink. None of this would have happened if she hadn't distracted Zarina, admonishing her to stop her experiments. She'd trusted Tink, had been so eager to share her discoveries. And now this. Tink's insides twisted.

"We should go talk to her," said Fawn.

"The poor thing will need some cheering up, that's for sure," said Rosetta. "Let's meet at her house in an hour. I'll gather some flowers for her."

"And I'll make her a jewelry box." Tink brightened. That was a gift she had planned to give Zarina for her next Arrival Anniversary celebration but it would work even better now.

"Okay, that's good," said Silvermist, thinking. "I could…I know! I'll bring her one of Dulcie's best cakes."

"We also need to find Vidia and Iridessa," said Tink, glancing around. "All of us should be there."

"I'll do it," said Fawn. "You guys get busy. See you at Z's place in an hour."

"Right!" said Tink as they all sped off in different directions.

Tink almost lost track of time as she worked. Pride filled her when she held up her completed creation. It was round and shiny, made from a silvery metal she had found on the beach and hadn't known what to do with. Now it formed a perfect container. The tiny jewels that encrusted it sparkled against the gentle glow of the setting sun spilling through her window.

But would it be enough for Zarina to forgive her? A fresh batch of guilt washed over Tink as she darted out her door, clutching the jewelry box to her chest. She flew slowly, mulling over what she could possibly say in addition to an apology. Why, why hadn't she been more supportive? Memories of how Fairy Mary had initially scoffed at her use of Lost Things flooded her mind. Zarina had even pointed that out. And now she'd done the same to Zarina.

"We'll all go with you first thing tomorrow to talk to Fairy Gary," she whispered, rehearsing. "Maybe we can convince him to give you back your job. And, if not, then there must be something you can do with that dust…thing of yours. It's pretty flitterific, actually. I—"

She stopped as Zarina's house came into view. It sat high in the air, on a thick branch of that rouge plant. Vines looped through the open door and windows. Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn, Vidia, and Iridessa were already there, standing outside. Tink's heart throbbed.

"What took you so long, Miss Spare Parts?" Vidia hissed.

"Sorry," she whispered, alighting beside them. "I just wanted this to be perfect." She held up the jewelry box.

"Oh, that's pretty!" gushed Silvermist, who was holding a decorative chocolate cake. "She'll love it."

"Okay, are we all ready?" said Fawn.

"I think so." Iridessa gulped. "The door's open. Do we knock or just go in?"

Tink was relieved that her friends seemed just as nervous as she felt. Still, _they_ weren't the ones who had distracted Zarina, causing her to create this mess in the first place. She swallowed a huge lump in her throat.

"Oh, for pity's sake!" Rosetta, clutching a bouquet of colorful flowers, knocked on the side of the house. "Sugarcane, it's us. Are you all right? Can we come in?"

No answer. Tink's pulse raced. Was Zarina even home?

"Zarina?" The jewelry box felt suddenly slippery in her sweaty palms. Her legs were shaking as she forced herself to enter after the others. She fluttered her wings to propel herself forward.

Zarina's cottage was dark, lit only by moonlight and the fading sunset slipping in through the openings. Her lab equipment was in disarray and some of it was missing, including the journal that detailed her experiments.

A sick feeling wormed through Tink.

"She's not here," said Vidia once they searched the house.

"Where could she have gone?" asked Silvermist.

"This doesn't look good." Iridessa wrung her hands. "She wouldn't leave Pixie Hollow, would she?"

"No. Of course not, Sunshine." Rosetta's usually cheerful voice was tinged with concern. "This is her home. She's got to be around somewhere. Maybe she just wandered off to think things through. She'll probably be back by morning. Why don't we all get a good night's sleep and look for her tomorrow?"

"That's a good idea," said Tink, a momentary flicker of relief passing through her. "And if she doesn't show up we can ask Fairy Gary or Terence." Her heart gave a sudden flutter. "They might know since they work with her. Or…uh, used to." She scratched the back of her calf with her foot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

With all of Pixie Hollow working together, it took only a few days to repair the Dust Depot. Garden talents cleared away the strangling vines, the tinkers fixed the mechanisms, and everyone else did what they could. Even the disrupted houses had been moved back to their original locations, including Zarina's.

But Zarina still hadn't reappeared. Anxiety tugged at Tink, growing worse every day. Fawn had alerted her animal friends to look for her, Tink asked her firefly buddy Blaze to pass on the word to the other fireflies, and Silvermist questioned the babbling brook. All the answers came back negative. Zarina was nowhere to be found.

Tink finally approached Terence and Fairy Gary one morning. Her stomach twittered with nerves.

"You guys haven't happened to have seen Zarina, have you?" She glanced up at Terence's gentle blue eyes and felt her cheeks burn.

"No, Tink, I haven't," he said. "She hasn't been by since—"

"That's the thing," Tink blurted. "She's disappeared."

"Disappeared?" A pained look crossed Fairy Gary's broad face.

"I haven't seen her for days. My friends and I…well, we went to visit her after, you know." She shifted from foot to foot and gestured toward the Depot. "But she was gone."

"No…." Fairy Gary's voice was barely a whisper. He sank down onto a nearby toadstool and bowed his head. "I knew I was too hard on her. But she'd disobeyed…I had to do _something._ " He looked up. His eyes were swollen with unshed tears. "I was going to give her back her job and keep a close eye on her."

"She has to be around somewhere," said Terence. "Have you checked _all_ of Pixie Hollow, even the Winter Woods?"

Tink felt her mood lift slightly. It had been a while since she'd visited Periwinkle. Was it possible her sister might know where Zarina went? She doubted it but figured it couldn't hurt to ask. She shook her head.

"She never really fit in as a dust-keeper," Fairy Gary murmured, more to himself than them. "Couldn't focus on the task at hand, always asking questions—"

"Or better yet," said Terence with a grin, "talk to Queen Clarion. She'll know what to do."

The queen smiled at them as she glided by, her wings and gown sparkling with pixie dust. She and Fairy Mary had spent the morning inspecting the newly refurbished Depot to make sure everything was back in working order.

"Terence, you're a genius!" Tink gave him a quick peck on the cheek then dashed away before he could see her brilliantly flaming face.

"Queen Clarion!" Tink called, hurrying after her.

Clarion stopped and peered down at her. "Tinker Bell, I must say you and the others did a wonderful job with the repairs. Everything is as good as new."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tink bobbed her head. "But that's not what I want to talk to you about." She placed her hands behind her back in an effort to keep from fidgeting. "Zarina is missing."

"Missing?" A frown marred Clarion's beautiful face.

"As far as we know. We haven't seen her since…." Tink swallowed and glanced back at Fairy Gary, who had his face buried in his hands. "Since she was let go as a dust-keeper. No one else has seen her either."

"Are you sure, Tinker Bell?" Clarion's usually bright eyes were clouded with concern. Tink gulped and nodded.

Clarion plucked a small shell from a hidden pocket in her gown and blew it, emitting a shrill whistle. "There is one fairy who will find her if she's anywhere in Pixie Hollow."

Relief flooded Tink when Viola appeared before them moments later. "Who would you like me to summon, my queen?" she said with a bow.

"The dust-keeper Zarina, please. She could be anywhere."

Viola bowed again then dashed away.

Usually whoever Viola was requested to summon would be found within minutes. This time it seemed to take an eternity. Tink's fingers itched to work on her latest project, a new propeller for the _Pixie Dust Express_ , while her mind hummed with anxiety. Would Viola find Zarina? What was taking so long?

Others, including Terence, Fairy Gary, Fawn, Iridessa, Vidia, Silvermist, and Rosetta had gathered around.

"What's going on?" asked Rosetta.

"Viola's gone to summon Zarina," said Tink, "but she's been gone an awfully long time."

When Viola finally returned, she was alone. Tink's heart beat like the wings of a frantic bird. Horrified gasps whispered through the crowd.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but Zarina is nowhere to be found."

"Oh, this is bad." Iridessa gulped in deep breaths. "What if a hawk got her? Or a kid stopped believing in fairies and she—"

"That's just a silly folk tale made up by ancient Pixie Hollow storytellers to scare their audience," scoffed Vidia, although fear hovered in her eyes. "Zarina has to be somewhere in Never Land."

"That's true," said Terence. "Tink, remember when you went searching for the Mirror of Incanta and I followed? We eventually made it back."

Tink brightened. It was just like Terence to make her feel better. Still, a small doubt clawed at the back of her mind. "Yes, but we were only gone for a couple of days. Zarina's been gone longer and she was so upset."

Queen Clarion cleared her throat. "Thank you, Viola. I know you did your best. There is one other person I'd like you to summon. Head Scout Nyx."

Once Nyx arrived, Clarion told her to gather her scouts and search for Zarina beyond Pixie Hollow.

Tink struggled to focus on her projects in the meantime. She usually enjoyed her tinkering and would often become so engrossed in her work that she'd lose track of time. But regret and worry continued to gnaw at her, disrupting her concentration. She remembered how she'd almost fled Pixie Hollow in despair not long after her Arrival, when _she_ had messed up, but had changed her mind.

 _If only we'd gotten to Zarina sooner,_ she thought, tossing a stubborn piece of wire against the wall in frustration, _she'd still be with us._ She didn't want to think about the dangers her friend might encounter out there, things that made hawks seem as gentle as Cheese the mouse: dragons, pirates, trolls…. Tink knew she had been lucky when she'd gone in search of that Mirror. The trolls she'd met weren't that bad and the worse dangers were the rats in that old pirate ship. And she'd had Terence and Blaze to help her. Zarina was all alone, as far as she knew.

It was days later when Viola summoned Tink and her closest friends to meet Queen Clarion in front of the Pixie Dust Depot. Fairy Gary, mopping at his streaming eyes with a leaf handkerchief, stood with Terence and the other dust-keepers. All wore sad expressions.

Tink's throat tightened. Had Iridessa been right after all? Was Zarina—?

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," said Clarion. "Nyx reported that, although the scouts had done a thorough search, Zarina could not be found." Horrified gasps tore at Tink's ears. She felt as if she'd just been devoured by a hawk. Grief shadowed the queen's face and tears shimmered in her eyes. This deepened Tink's sadness. Clarion was more than just a sovereign. She welcomed each Warm fairy to Pixie Hollow at their Arrivals, helping them find their talents and naming them. For Clarion, Zarina's disappearance had to be the equivalent of a human mother losing one of her children.

"This doesn't mean she is gone forever, so we mustn't lose hope. She still may choose to return on her own. When she does, we will give her the warmest welcome. But, in the meantime, we must continue to use our talents to the best of our abilities. Life will go on. There will still be new Arrivals to welcome, as well as the upcoming Pixie Hollow Games and the next Four Seasons Festival, which is nearly a year away, that those who wish to participate in must prepare for. They give us something to look forward to. And, of course, the changing of the seasons will keep all of us busy the rest of the time."

Some of the fairies cheered. An ache filled Tink's chest. She was drawn into a big group hug with Silvermist, Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta, Vidia, and Terence. They then parted in silence and fluttered off to return to their duties. Tink was about to do likewise when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

She turned to find Fairy Gary staring down at her with red-rimmed eyes.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Tinker Bell."

"Sure. What is it, Fairy Gary?"

"I'd like you to make me some trousers."

"Trousers?" Tink frowned in confusion. What a strange request! Fairy Gary wore his kilt proudly, despite the teasing he sometimes received.

"I told Zarina that if anyone found pink pixie dust, I'd trade in my kilt for trousers. And since she made that dust…." His voice faded. He lowered his head.

"You got it, Fairy Gary." Tink placed a hand on his arm. She faintly recalled Zarina saying something about "Fairy Gary" and "trousers" right after she'd created that dust.

"I'll probably only wear them for a short time, a month at least, since I still prefer my kilt, but I'd like to do this in Zarina's honor."

"I understand."

A happiness she hadn't felt for days filled Tink as she headed back to her cottage to get to work. At least Fairy Gary's request gave her one more project and she needed to stay busy.

 **The End**


End file.
